New to fishkeeping and need advice on stocking

[plankton]

Congo tetras may be a good alternative. They are big for tetras, but not as big as Boesmani. They could take the place of all the rainbows if kept in a big group.

[Briggiegers]

I've rang the shop where I'm buying my tank to see if I can change it to the 240 litre Roma. The person who I dealt with isn't in to work till tomorrow, so hopefully I can change it to the bigger tank. How do I make my water harder so I can accommodate the rainbows? Would I be right in saying adding rocks will help? But would this then mean the water wouldn't be suitable for the tetras and guppies?

[Stephen]

Hello Bryan and welcome to the forum.

The Trigon 190 is a nice corner tank.
As you have soft water then Guppy and Boesemani Rainbows won't be suitable as they are hard water fish species and need hard water to survive.
The choice of soft water fish species is vast.
The chosen fish must also be tank water temperature compatible, some require cooler water (below24C) and others require warmer water (above 24C).

I just checked online for the water in my area and it says the water is soft and giving a result of 22.5

Can I ask what measurement is the 22.5 ? Is that ppm, mg CaCO3/l or something else?

Would you like me to create a stocking suggestion for you?
My suggestion will be totally compatible to your tank size, filter, water softness and tank water temperature compatible.
Just ask and I will do my best to create a lovely stocking suggestion.

All the best
Stephen

[Briggiegers]

Yeah that would be great. I'll post screenshots of my tank. I've managed to get them to change it to the Fluval 240 litre Roma so happy days. The 22.5 I have no idea what it meant. Thought it may have made sense to you experienced guys on here

[Briggiegers]

[Briggiegers]

[Ruth]

I personally would get the fish to suit the water that you have - that way you know their environment will be constant for them, which is what they really need. Just my tuppence worth!

[Smithers-jones]

You say the tank is being delivered in a couple of weeks, and you plan to stock it at Xmas time? You need to research the nitrogen cycle because a new tank, unless you're using seeded media from an established system, can take up to 8 weeks to cycle. It's not wise to add your fish before the tank has cycled properly, unless you were planning on adding sacrificial fish, but you don't mention anything about that.

Like I said, research the nitrogen cycle, it's the single most important part of the hobby.

Also, as already mentioned, boesemani's are one of the bigger rainbows. They can get up to 5",a bit big for your size tank.

[fr499y]

As said, check out the Guides ( https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/guides ) and ammonia calculator ( https://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/resources ) for cycling advice